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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23914186">The DeKappel Heist</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/lalalalobotomy/pseuds/lalalalobotomy'>lalalalobotomy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Heist, pre-SOC</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 20:00:36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,892</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23914186</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/lalalalobotomy/pseuds/lalalalobotomy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>There's nothing Kaz hates more than an arrogant Merch. So when Jan van Eck boasts that his new DeKappel painting is unstealable, Kaz has no choice but to take him down a notch.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kaz Brekker/Inej Ghafa</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>75</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The DeKappel Heist</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi! I wanted to take the DeKappel art heist, mentioned in passing in the first book, and write a version of it. I hope you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The hour is very late by the time Kaz slips into the Slat. It was not unusual for him to come and go at all hours, but he was surprised to see several of the Dregs still awake sitting around one of the small tables. They stopped talking when he came in. For Kaz, the Dregs were a means to an end. He never joined their friendly banter or trips to the gambling dens.</p><p>“Kaz!” Pim calls him over, excitedly. Kaz raises a questioning eyebrow, but makes his way over to their table, cane rhythmically echoing off the wooden floor.</p><p>Pim has a newspaper open, and a picture of what Kaz guesses is a DeKappel takes up the majority of the page. “Apparently that merch Van Eck just bought it, worth at least 100,000 million kruge,” Pim explains.</p><p>Kaz knows the name. He knows all the prominent merch families in Ketterdam. Van Eck is one of the more influential merchants on the council. Kaz’s never actually met the man, but he’s a big player nonetheless.</p><p>“Van Eck’s claiming that the security’s foolproof. No one can steal it,” Pim continues.</p><p>Kaz cocks his head to the side and looks more closely at the article. Indeed, the headline boasts Jan Van Eck’s unstealable new DeKappel.</p><p>“Imagine if we pulled that off. We’d be the talk of the Barrel,” Pim says.</p><p>Kaz gives a noncommittal grunt in return. “You mind?” Kaz asks, gesturing to the paper.</p><p>Pim gives him a smile and a nod. Kaz grabs the paper, tucks it under his arm, and makes his way up the stairs to his room.</p><p>His leg is throbbing by the time he makes it to the top, and he takes a heavy seat on the edge of his bed. If he’s lucky, he can get a couple hours of sleep before he has to be up in the morning.</p><p>Later that night, Kaz tosses and turns in his bed, unable to sleep. He can't stop thinking about the painting. The article had been vague about the security measures, but Van Eck wanted to brag, so it included some useful details. Kaz began to break it down like any other heist. What problems could arise, what measures he could take, how he could pull it off. It’s the same kind of obsession that kept him up for hours after seeing a magician on the West Stave make a coin disappear between his fingers. There and then gone. It led Kaz to practice the same trick hour after hour in a grimy mirror.</p><p>It’s no secret that Kaz constantly mocks the merch class. After all, they really weren’t all that different, only stole from a different type of person. Everything from the way he carried himself to the clothes he wore was carefully constructed to mock them.</p><p>The job is doable, despite the added security. It wouldn’t even need a big crew- just him and the Wraith. It’s a risky prize. Without a buyer lined up, he wouldn't be able to sell it. But that's not really the point, is it? He doesn’t need to sell it, only prove he’s good enough to take it. It's been over three years since he’s been caught, and, thanks to Inej’s intel on every judge in Ketterdam, even if he is, he won’t do time.</p><p>He resolves to tell Inej tomorrow. Eventually, fitfully, Kaz falls asleep.</p><p>~</p><p>In the morning, Inej is awoken by Kaz’s cane on the floorboards above. The beginning tendrils of dawn have just begun to come through her window. She hadn’t heard Kaz come in until very late last night, and she’s surprised that he’s up so early.</p><p>Inej groans and rolls over to survey her small room. It doesn’t contain much more than her bed and a trunk with some clothes. But it is delightfully private. Plus, the gables of the roof come to a point just below her window, allowing her easy access to the rest of Ketterdams roofs from her bedroom window.</p><p>She sighs as she gets out of bed and begins to get dressed. She’s just slipped on her rubber-soled slippers as she hears Kaz coming down the stairs. He knocks at her door, and before she even gets a chance to acknowledge him, he opens the door.</p><p>“Saints, Kaz,” she chastises, weaving her hair into a tight braid. He gives her a look. His skin is paler than usual, and he has prominent circles under his eyes. He’s also leaning on his cane more than usual. His dark brown eyes, however, look bright and alert.</p><p>“I’ve got a job,” he says.</p><p>“Hello to you too,” Inej replies beginning to feel slightly exasperated.</p><p>“Good morning, darling Inej. What a fine day it is. I’ve got a job,” he replies, tone switching from an uncharacteristic sickening sweetness to his usual rough monotone halfway through.</p><p>“Alright, alright. What is it?”</p><p>“We’re going to steal a DeKappel.”</p><p>“Do you have a specific one in mind?”</p><p>“Yes. The owner claims it’s unstealable.”</p><p>“And what are we going to do with this painting? Sell it?”</p><p>“We’re going to prove that we can take it.”</p><p>Inej gives him a long, hard look. Kaz has had a lot of insane, impossible heists in her year and a half in the Dregs, but he always has a reason for everything. Mapping out all the moving pieces in his head and picking the option that serves the Dregs, serves him, best. But he never, ever does something for nothing. This job seems like arrogance and nothing more.</p><p>“Your pride will be your downfall, Kaz,” Inej tells him.</p><p>“Suli proverbs are not an answer. Are you in?” he asks with a ruthless smile.</p><p>Inej gives a sharp nod.</p><p>“Good. The painting belongs to Jan Van Eck, a merch on the council. I need you to see what security he’s put in and report back.”</p><p>“A merch, Kaz? On the council?” Inej asks, eyebrows raising. This isn’t like stealing from another gang, getting caught would bring the entire force of the council down on the Dregs.</p><p>“Just a higher caliber of pigeon. They’re no better or worse than anyone else we’ve stolen from.”</p><p>Inej sighs and pushes open the window. The cool morning breeze ruffles Kaz’s unkempt hair.</p><p>“Have a long trip down,” Inej says, as she smiles and slips out the window.</p><p>~</p><p>The rooftops of Ketterdam are one of her favorite places to be. Away from the bustle of the crowded Barrel streets, the city seems almost beautiful. If she had the time, she would make her way to the Church of Barter. It was shaped like the hand of Ghenzen with protruding chapels as his fingers. Ghenzen is a far cry from her Saints, but Inej cannot deny that the church itself is spectacular. From the pinky, she can see all the way to the harbor. Sometimes, when the sun is bright and the sky is clear, she swears she can see all the way to Hellgate, the prison a mile offshore. But the church is in the opposite direction of geldstraat, the street most of the rich merches lived on.</p><p>With a wistful look, she turns her back and begins scaling the roof of the Slat. Most of the buildings, in typical Kerch fashion, have gabled roofs. The tiles made for easy hand and foot holds. Both of these things meant that the trip from the Slat to Van Ecks mansion isn’t particularly difficult, and Inej spends the time running through everything she knows about Van Eck.</p><p>He is involved in the shipping industry. Recently, he had married the considerably younger Alys, and he had a son from his first marriage named Wylan. He also employed between ten to fifteen servants, but Inej guessed the number might be higher if he had recently acquired a new DeKappel.</p><p>One of her first assignments after joining the Dregs had been to learn the layout of all the prominent merch mansions by heart. Van Eck’s was in the typical fashion, dark oak floors and understated, but obviously expensive, furniture.</p><p>As she approaches geldstraat, she slows down. While it’s unlikely anyone will be looking up at the roof, especially this early, Inej doesn’t want to be caught. She presses herself flat against the wall of one of the gables. She looks down the row of houses and realizes that Van Ecks is only three away. She hasn’t come up with a way inside yet. She’s never had Kaz’s gift with locks, and while he’s tried to teach her, she’s only mastered a couple of the more basic ones.</p><p>She moves carefully until she’s above the back entrance to the Van Eck mansion. Even from her limited vantage point, she can see at least two of the purple uniforms of the staadwatch. Inej curses under her breath; it’s going to make sneaking inside a little more difficult.</p><p>She knows that behind the back door is the kitchen, and beyond that is a hallway that opens up into the main foyer of the house. Van Eck’s office and the three bedrooms are on the second floor with the servants quarters in the attic. The foyer on the first floor branches off into several rooms, including the dining room, a den for Van Eck to entertain guests, and a music room for Alys. The most important room, for her, however, is the gallery off to the right side of the foyer.</p><p>Van Eck considers himself a sort of art connoisseur, and the room is filled with a number of works by high profile painters. Inej peers around the gable, the window next to her is dark and locked. She fumbles with the lock for a minute before giving it up as a lost cause.</p><p>She makes her way down lower on the roof, knowing that the lower she gets, the more likely it is for the staadwatch to see her, but she’s not the best spider in the Barrel for nothing. She only has to wait five minutes before one of the cooks comes out. Inej waits for her to go back in, and silently drops from the roof. She just manages to catch the door before it closes and slips silently inside. The kitchen is nice. Butter yellow walls and white countertops. The floor is a light wood.</p><p>While the cook’s back is still turned, she jumps, fingers gripping the top of the lowest rafter. Pulling herself up, she climbs until she is almost completely invisible from the floor. From there, it’s not hard to make her way across the room to the door that leads further into the house.</p><p>She situates herself not a moment too soon; three other women join the first in the kitchen. The increased bustle is immediately noticeable. Their voices easily carry up to the rafters, and it’s too risky for Inej to try and leave with all of them in such a small space, so she settles herself in for a wait.</p><p>“Marta, have you started the cakes? We’ll need time to frost them tomorrow so they’ll be ready for the party,” the cook with a long silver braid says.</p><p>A second cook nods and begins pulling ingredients from cabinets. The third cook, the youngest with curled, blonde hair, claps her hands together.</p><p>“I can’t wait for the unveiling tomorrow. I bet the painting is just beautiful and everyone will look so nice!” she squeals.</p><p>Of course Van Eck would want to show off his new acquisition, and what better way than to rub it in everyone’s else's face at a fancy party. The bustle in the kitchen continues, unaware of Inej’s sudden realization. Inej notices that one of the cooks, the youngest, leaves with two slabs of uncooked meat and returns ten minutes later empty handed. There isn’t a second kitchen or fire to cook elsewhere in the house, which means the meat is probably for dogs; judging by the amount, Inej guesses it’s two or three. Dogs were always a tricky security measure, and this heist was seeming more difficult by the minute.</p><p>Around ten the bustle starts to slow; the ovens are full, and most of the dishes from breakfast have been washed and dried. The cooks have started to peel off, and now seems as good a time as any to make her move.</p><p>Inej drops silently down from the rafters, landing in a crouch. She opens the door to the rest of the house and moves silently down the hall. She’s tense; there’s not much cover if someone comes, but she continues to move patiently, valuing silence over speed. After what feels like an eternity, she comes to the gallery door.</p><p>A glance back down the hallway reveals no one is coming. Inej’s hand grasps the handle, and she pushes down to open the door. The handle doesn’t budge. Inej blows out a frustrated breath and tries it again to no avail. She looks for the lock name to tell Kaz, and finds it labeled across the top of the handle in delicate engraving: Klemmen.</p><p>Inej turns to leave the way she came, but she doesn’t make it more than two steps before she hears heavy footsteps coming toward the other end of the hall. In an instant, she has a knife in each hand. They’re a last resort, she’s supposed to get in and out without any notice. Quickly, she looks around the hall. It’s sparse, but there’s a window not too far from her. The footsteps are louder now.</p><p>Inej doesn’t know how heavily the staadwatch are patrolling this section, but it seems like the better option. She takes several quick, silent steps and unlocks the window. A cursory glance reveals no purple uniforms. She takes it as a good sign and hauls herself onto the awning above the window.</p><p>A moment later, she sees a head peek out from the open window and look around. She presses herself tightly against the wall. Fortunately, he doesn’t look up. He grumbles something about leaving the window open and slams it shut. Inej lets out a breath.</p><p>By the time she’s travelling back on the rooftops, the sun is high in the sky.</p><p>~</p><p>By the time Inej has returned, Kaz has holed himself up in his room, going over the books for the investors. He doesn’t really need them- he can do all the tallies in his head- but it’s good to have something to point to when he’s dealing with outside people.</p><p>He’s restless, and despite his attempts to focus, the numbers keep getting mixed up. He’s surprised when his window swings open but doesn’t break his cool demeanor. Inej perches herself on the windowsill and explains what she saw: a number of staadwatch guards in addition to privately hired ones; at least two dogs; the Klemmen lock on the gallery. They’ve done this so many times now that she knows what he looks for.</p><p>Their timeline is significantly shorter than he’d like, but they both agree that the party would be the best time to get access to the mansion. He’s sorting through the other pieces of information Inej gave him. The dogs wouldn’t be too difficult. With easy access to the kitchen, it wouldn’t be hard to slip something into their food. He’d never seen a Klemmen lock before, but hopefully, they’d be inside while the door was unlocked for the party.</p><p>The staadwatch might pose a problem, though. Inej hadn’t been able to get a good estimate on the guards, so they’d have to be careful about how they entered.</p><p>“Go tell Pim and Jesper to pick up something to knock out the dogs. And tell Jesper he better not find his way into a gambling hall. I need to pick up some things. Meet me back here in three hours.”</p><p>The three hours passed quickly, Kaz has only made it back, now with both the livery of the Van Eck house and a purple staadwatch uniform. He has plenty of uniforms, including the livery of every merch on the council. They come in handy: people love to trust a uniform.</p><p>Inej is already waiting for him on the first floor of the Slat when he returns. There’s a bottle in her hand that Jesper and Pim must have picked up. The bottle looks nondescript, with a small label on the front. He hasn’t told anyone apart from Inej what he’s planning, and he knows Per Haskell would have his head if he found out. He takes 20% of everything Kaz makes, and this job isn’t paying.</p><p>Kaz nods his head toward the stairs and he and Inej begin the long climb up to his room on the top floor. Surprisingly, his leg hasn’t been too bad today, and he hopes it’ll carry over to tomorrow.</p><p>When they reach his room, Kaz pulls out the parcel wrapped in brown parchment paper containing the two different uniforms.</p><p>“Okay,” he begins slowly. “You are going in the morning. They’ll have too many vendors coming and going to properly check if everyone is going to be there. You need to get access to the kitchens and slip some of that,” he gestures to the bottle, “into the dogs' food. It should take a couple hours to take effect and last through the night, so we’ll be good on that front. You’ll need to find somewhere to hide out until the event starts.”</p><p>Kaz pauses to make sure Inej is following.</p><p>“The next part gets more complicated. Van Eck’s staff is small enough that they’ll all know each other. I come in the front in their livery, but change to the staadwatch uniform inside,” he continues, unwrapping the package containing both outfits. “I get easy access to the gallery and stay on through the party as extra security inside. Once everyone leaves, I’ll let you in; it’ll be easy work getting the painting. You take it and leave from the roof; I’ll wait until the guard changes and leave with the rest of the staadwatch.”</p><p>Kaz had splayed his hands on the edge of his desk as he explained, but now he straightens up and looks at Inej. She’s focused on him, there’s a certain kind of intensity in her brown eyes.</p><p>“Any questions?” he finally asks, his voice sounding more hoarse than usual.</p><p>He and Inej stay up late working out all the possible problems they can think of. It’s possible that something will go wrong while they’re there, but by the time they decide to turn in, he’s confident that they can pull it off.</p><p>~</p><p>He gets up early to see Inej off. He’s setting off four hours after her. It worries him that he won’t know if there’s a problem until it’s too late, but he trusts the Wraith.</p><p>“No mourners,” he says as she slips out the window.</p><p>She turns back to look at him, silhouetted against the backdrop of the city. “No funerals,” she replies.</p><p>As soon as she leaves, the same restless feeling from the day before settles in his chest. He tells himself it’s just because of the job, but a small nagging part of his brain says it’s something else.</p><p>After an eternity, he sets out. It’s not terribly far to geldstraat, and the day is nice. He misses the familiarity of his cane, but it’s too conspicuous for the job. He arrives to chaos. The party has just started, and a steady flood of rich merchants are entering the house. He’s quickly waved through by one of the staadwatch guards without a second glance.</p><p>Once inside, he finds a quiet alcove and loses the red and gold livery of the Van Eck family. He threads back through the crowd. No one pays him any attention. The merchants have shown up in their finest: the men in well tailored suits and the women in  long dresses. He catches a glimpse of a boy in the corner with ruddy curls playing the flute.</p><p>The crowd slows him some, but he makes his way up to the gallery. No one stops him. His luck runs out when he enters the room.</p><p>“What are you doing here?” one of Van Eck’s personal guards asks.</p><p>“I was sent up to help control the crowd,” Kaz improvises on the spot. This is not part of the plan.</p><p>“No, you staadwatch grunts stay downstairs or outside,” the man responds.</p><p>Kaz forces himself to stutter out an apology before exiting the gallery. His mind is scrambling for a solution.</p><p>He re-enters the swirling mass of people. They’ve begun to make their way up in small groups to see the painting. Kaz doesn’t dare go back up, and he has no way to communicate with Inej. She should be hidden somewhere until the end of the party.</p><p>~</p><p>Kaz paces the foyer, pretending to look busy. The crowd ebbs and flows around him. He sees several other purple uniforms interspersed, and tries to keep his distance. It’s unlikely that they’d realize he’s not really a member of the staadwatch, but he doesn’t want to take the risk.</p><p>Gradually, the people begin to thin. Once they start leaving, it causes a cascade that has everyone leaving within the next hour. Soon enough, the foyer is empty except for one other guard.</p><p>“I’m just going to check upstairs,” Kaz tells him in an authoritative tone. The other guard just nods. Kaz slowly climbs the staircase hoping Inej has realized that the party’s over. By some miracle, she emerges from the shadows.</p><p>“You’re supposed to be inside already,” she hisses.</p><p>“Change of plans,” he replies, and they quietly make their way to the door.</p><p>He kneels down in front of the lock. It’s clearly a high end lock, but it doesn't look much different than other ones he’s picked before.</p><p>“There are at least two guards inside,” he tells Inej as he pulls out his lockpicks. She slides two of her knives into her hands. Her lips move, and Kaz is guessing it’s a prayer to her Saints.</p><p>He slides the picks in easily, and begins test out the lock. Two agonizing minutes later, he hears a faint click. He stands and makes sure Inej is ready. She nods, and Kaz carefully opens the door.</p><p>“What the hell?” one of the guards exclaims, moving toward the door. Inej doesn’t wait; she’s in before Kaz can react. She takes the first guard out easily. The second is already advancing toward her, but Kaz steps between them. The guard raises his gun, but he’s too slow, and Kaz is too close. With a solid right hook, the guard crumples to the floor.</p><p>Moving in sync, they head toward the painting. Kaz pulls the painting down, and Inej quickly cuts off the back of the frame. They carefully take the painting out and roll it up. Inej tucks it under her arm, and the two make their way out of the room.</p><p>Back at the Slat, Inej turns to him. “Is your pride satisfied now, Kaz?” Inej asks, a small smile playing across her lips.</p><p>“For now,” he replies.</p><p>The headlines of an impossible art heist hit the papers the next morning. Van Eck is furious, calling for a full investigation by the staadwatch. Kaz checks the canvas under his bed and smiles.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading! If you want, come message me on tumblr @crowsandkruge! I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy in quarantine!!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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